Natural+Patterns+of+Climate+Change

= Natural Patterns of Climate Change = Jess Holm

= Did you know??? = "Interactions between the [|atmosphere and the oceans] are at the core of most of the patterns." Since earth has evolved, it has been going through patterns every second of every day.

//Regardless of all factors, the earth's climate is ALWAYS changing.//

= Why is it important for us to study the earth's climate? = Scientists study the earth's climate not only to predict the climate for the future but also to help prevent climate disasters such as droughts, floods and all types of storms.

= Ice Ages = The last[| ice age] occured more than 10,000 years ago. 18,000 years ago, approximately 32% of [|land was covered in ice]. Today, approximately 10% covers land in ice. Why? 18,000 years ago, our earth was absorbed in an ice age.

= Why are the large sheets of ice so important? = "...the amount of Carbon Dioxide in the atmosphere falls as ice sheets grow, also adding to the cooling of the climate. " - [|www.ncdc.noaa.gov]
 * Left**: Present Day **Right**: approx. 18,000 years ago

__Ice cores__ are also a way to analyze climate change. The [|thickness of the ice] tells scientists how old the ice core is.

= What is paleoclimatology? = [|Paleoclimatology] is the study of climate before records and data were available.

"...records of climate have been preserved in __tree rings__, locked in the __skeletons of tropical coral reefs__, extracted as __ice cores__ from glaciers and ice caps, and buried in laminated __sediments from lakes and the ocean__. " - [|Paleoclimatology]

Paleoclimatology also helps prove how humans have added to climate change.

= Milankovitch's Theory =

[|Milankovitch's theory] has to do with the earth's orbit around the sun and how solar radiation affects the earth and climate. His theories focus on the polar ice caps and how they deteriorate and expand from time to time.

His theory is from an astronomical viewpoint. He believes climate change has to do with our earth's axis. He beliefs are with a more drastic tilt in the earth's axis, comes more drastic seasons.

= = =** Tree Rings **= [|Dendrochronology] is the study of tree rings and how they relate to climate change. The tree rings indicate if there was a dry or wet season but along with that, scientists can also find out the temperatures according to the seasons. Tree rings are one of the most important factors involving climate change. Many things can be recorded just by looking at the rings of a tree. - Tree rings aren't always the most reliable way to record information on climate change. There can be many [|factors that influence the growth] and span of a tree's ring. Deformations may also affect tree rings.

Additional Information: [|Paleoclimatology] [|"The Study of Ancient Climates"] [|Global Climates]